Friday, September 27, 2013

Lights

Party on the Outside.
Party on the Inside.
They are looking down from the roost.
Through the window.

Sorry for the grainy photographs.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Egg Surprise

On Monday morning I tried to clean out the coop before school, I really did.  But Fitz was in her nesting box and we don't like to bother the chickens when they are depositing the goods.  So, I left a note for Papa Hen to scoop the coop if it was vacant when he got home from the gym.  Later that morning I got a call describing this.
It was a big egg.  Take another look.
And another.
And another.
Thank you, Fitz Chicken.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Scrambled Eggs

We are enjoying the eggs that the chickens of Red Door Coop provide for us.  So are many of our friends and family members.  Yesterday for breakfast we had scrambled eggs with homegrown tomatoes and squash.  There were some leftovers, so we fed them to the chickens.  Yes.  That's what I said.  It is good for egg production to feed chickens eggshells and eggs in forms they will not relate at all to the eggs they lay every day.  It gives them protein and calcium.
  Hmmmm.  This looks interesting.
Yummy!

Coop Improvements

Red Door Coop was lucky to only suffer a few leaks during the rainstorms last week.  We were glad to learn about the issues with the coop in fairly warm temperatures rather than in the middle of a winter freeze.  So we made a list of modifications and Papa Hen got to work.
   The roof was extended to cover the entire chicken run.
The swollen coop door was trimmed so we could use the latch properly and skip the twist-ties!
There's Bruiser showing off the new roost.  It's a little wider and more comfortable for chicken feet.
See the gutter over the door and window? 
 
 
There was a gap in the roof between the coop and the chicken run that allowed water to FLY into the run.  Now it is capped.
We got some new "siding" for the coop for the cold seasons.  It might be a little early for its installation, but with Papa Hen traveling for work, we wanted to get it done in case there is a surprise cold spell while he is out of town.  It is a semi-clear tarp that lets in the sun and keeps out the wind, rain, and snow.  This will allow the chickens to be outside in the winter without worrying about snow.  Chickens are snow blind and will not come out of the coop if there is snow on the ground.  We'd like the chickens of Red Door Coop to be all-weather birds, and are trying to make this an all-weather coop. 

Chickens Digging

Our four hens love this one little shady corner of the yard because it is filled with bugs.  Please forgive the power tool noise at the end.  Papa Hen was working on Red Door Coop. 

Monday, September 16, 2013

Four Eggs a Day

Now that Bruiser is laying consistently, we are getting four eggs a day.  The four chickens use three of the four nesting boxes.  Lou and Fitz take turns in one.  Bill and Bruiser don't share.  I mean, they probably would share, but they don't right now.  What do we do with four eggs a day?  Well, we eat eggs and we give eggs away.  Perhaps you will even be the lucky recipient of some eggs from Red Door Coop.  Let us know if you are interested in trying some!

Here's what the chickens gave us today.

Saturday, September 14, 2013

The Post Where We Report That Bruiser REALLY Laid An Egg

A long while back we thought Bruiser laid an egg, but we were wrong.  Fitz had changed nests and fooled us.  But now we can report that Bruiser has officially begun laying eggs.  Adorable little brown eggs.
See how her comb is growing?
Our youngest chicken is growing up!

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Visiting Family

We took a drive up North with our camper this weekend to spend time with family.  It was a wonderful visit.  One of the highlights, besides a balloon festival, playing Olay Restaurant, and a game of neon frisbee, was meeting their 10 hens, 2 roosters, and 1 duck.
 
 
They've got a bit of land where the chickens and duck free range during the day doing chicken things.  The duck does a lot of chicken things and occasionally takes a dip in his pool.    

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Open the Door!

Last night, just about chicken bedtime, Papa Hen and Mama Hen were working on a little project in Red Door Coop.  We were installing a new light inside the coop--unfortunately, in less than 24 hours we decided that it is not the right kind of light and have to start over again!  Anyway, to get the work done, we had to close the little door and keep the birds out of the coop.  They were not happy chickens!  They just wanted to go to bed and to prove their point, they gave us many pleading looks.
They stood in line at the coop door.
 They were like little chicken soldiers on a mission.
And when we finally opened the door, all four jumped on the roost within 2 minutes. 
Good night, Bruiser!
  

Sunday, September 1, 2013

A Row of Chickens

Fitz, Bill, Lou, Bruiser.

Dirtbath UPgrade

Chickens get dirt everywhere when they bathe.  For this reason, Papa Hen decided the birds needed a taller "tub."  Being the handyman he is, Papa Hen got right to work using scraps from other projects.
He cut the scraps to fit the posts directly on top of the original dirtbath walls to make it taller.  It took a big hammer to get the nails through the 4X4 posts. 
Hard at work.
Almost done.
Fitz climbed in for a test run.  
We believe that the projects is a success.  See that dirt flying?